The average electricity bill was 14% higher in 2021 than in 2020, new figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show.
The median, or mid-point, annual household electricity bill in 2021 was €1,268. The median annual gas bill for households in 2021 was €740. This was 2.6% lower than the €760 median bill in 2020.
The average cost of electricity for consumers increased last year, with 49% of those who paid between €750 and €1,000 in 2020 paying between €1,000 and €1,500 in 2021.
According to the CSO figures, fewer gas consumers paid more overall. In 2020, 76% of customers who spent less than €500 stayed in the same price range.
“This is the first time that this report has been published. The Central Statistics Office combined national average electricity and gas final consumption prices from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) with metered consumption from ESB Networks and Gas Networks Ireland,” Dympna Corry, statistician with the CSO, said.
“The combined files provide estimates of the bill cost at meter level for the period 2015 to 2021,” she added.